MAS 500 is an e-Business application offering a comprehensive set of e-Management, e-Commerce, and Application Delivery solutions to meet the needs of mid-sized companies. Enterprise-wide applications include accounting and finance, human resources and payroll, fixed asset, distribution, and manufacturing.

Additionally, our Visual Basic developer tool kit allows for easy customization of MAS 500 modules and rapid development of custom applications. MAS 500 delivers flexibility, scalability, and powerful reporting capabilities in a sophisticated feature set.

Key Strengths of MAS 500

The Quality Platform for e-Business

Whether you are looking for an out-of-the-box e-Commerce package or for the best enterprise software to integrate with an existing Web application, MAS 500 is designed to give you the competitive advantage.

eCustomer, MAS 500's e-Commerce package, focuses on building your Web site revenue by catering to your Web customers. eCustomer's superior interface -featuring "Single Screen Shopping" - will keep your customers coming back to your Web storefront time and time again.

MAS 500 is also the platform of choice for integration with existing Web or line-of-business applications. MAS 500 is the only software developed exclusively for Microsoft SQL server as well as MS Office and BackOffice using industry-standard Visual Basic. This cutting edge technology is why so many "dot-com" companies choose MAS 500's accounting and distribution suites to run their businesses.

Supply Chain Management

The MAS 500 distribution suite gives you the power to improve customer service while managing your supply chain. Features include automatic inventory replenishment, sales, purchasing, and inventory control.

Fully Integrated Manufacturing

The manufacturing applications allow companies to manage production from raw materials through finished goods. Advanced features handle real-time labor and production reporting, lot tracking, material planning, engineering changes, and scheduling.

Best software has partnered with the following developers to provide you with powerful applications that complement MAS 500.

Material Requirements Planning Software

MAS 500 Manufacturing

MAS 500 Advanced Manufacturing (ERP) software business systems is for midsize to large manufacturers. Our MAS 500 Manufacturing system was designed from its inception to seamlessly integrate with Best Software's MAS 500 accounting/distribution application. MAS 500 and Advanced Manufacturing represent the cutting-edge in accounting and manufacturing technology. They were both developed from the ground-up using Visual Basic, SQL Server, and Windows technology. They were developed exclusively for the Windows NT platform and SQL database.More...

Financial Planning Software

Best! Imperativ Analytics

Bring Strategic Insight Into Your Business Planning With Best! Imperativ Analytics

Excellence in financial planning is key to your organization’s business success and offers what every executive is looking for -- sustainable competitive advantage. To keep up, you need enterprise-wide solutions designed to optimize the analysis and manipulation of all your financial data.

That’s where Best Software’s financial analysis solutions can help. With Best! Imperativ Analytics, you can:

• Work faster and smarter, spending more time making strategic business planning decisions
• Incorporate enterprise-wide collaboration and accountability into the planning process
• Measure company performance with comprehensive, flexible reports
• Save time during period-end closing and expand the power of your General Ledger

Best! Imperativ Analytics – Best! Imperativ Active Planner, Best! Imperativ Financial Reporter, and Best! Imperativ Allocations – is a robust enterprise-wide arsenal of purpose-built applications that allows you to easily manage the most important financial planning processes, conduct in-depth analyses, and develop insightful business plans.More...

SalesLogix® is a fully-integrated customer relationship management suite featuring sales, marketing, support and e-business components. It is easy to implement and use, and makes users' lives easier. By enabling business teams to access collective customer information anytime, anywhere, SalesLogix is the right-sized CRM solution for identifying, acquiring and retaining customers.

It is also the most widely used CRM solution on the market.

Best Project Accounting with Xpede provides the versatility needed by professional services and IT organizations to easily control costs and manage details of any size project.

Best Project Accounting:

Integrates seamlessly, providing the same look, feel and functionality as MAS 500.

Monitors a project throughout its complete life cycle (quoting, tracking, invoicing and data analysis)

Offers six GAAP-compliant profit recognition methods and multiple project types.

Provides both worksheet and calendar-style data entry and a unique approval process, which provides multiple-level management control.

Best Xpede:

• Offers immediate access to timesheet entry functions through palm-sized PCs powered by Microsoft® Windows® CE, standard Internet browsers and/or corporate Intranets.
• Allows remote users to access and feed time and expense information directly to the accounting system at the central office. Users with permission can customize their passwords, print reports on entered data and view job status.
• Delivers remote time and expense entry.
• Provides project managers near real-time information, resulting in informed, proactive decision making.

Crystal Reports Crystal Reports from Seagate Software has become the standard in Windows report writers, and is also included with MAS 500. As the primary print engine it provides many services to the MAS 500 software, including:

• Standard pre-configured MAS 500 reports — Providing detailed and summary management information.
• Quality presentation — Reports previewed on-screen and hard copy appear in a professional and usable manner.
• Custom reports — Highly configurable, user-friendly report customizer.
• Graphics — Numerous settings that allow the creation of bar graph and pie chart graphical reports.
• Private Tutor — On-screen step by step assistance.
• Integrated E-mail capability — Use e-mail for efficient distribution of reports.
• Interfaces — Export report data to multiple formats including Word, Excel, ASCII and Dbase.

FRx is a recognized leader in the financial reporting software market and is packaged with every MAS 500 General Ledger module shipped. FRx includes the following features:

• FRx Advanced — FRx Advanced financial reporting software is built into the General Ledger module.
• Customized reports — Reports as detailed, or as customized, as required can be developed using standard row and column creation formats.
• Spreadsheet familiarity — FRx has the look, feel and customizability of a spreadsheet, without the maintenance requirements.
• Drag and drop — reorganize reports easily by using the drag and drop features throughout FRx. Drill down —
• Drill down to the data underlying a financial report.

New business management suite for the small enterprise market combines Best's award-winning MAS 500 accounting and distribution applications with market-leading Best! Imperativ HR/payroll, asset management and analytics solutions.

IRVINE, Calif., and RESTON, Va., May 30, 2000 - Best Software, Inc., the leading provider of mid-range business management solutions, and Best Software, Inc., today announced the MAS 500, a new portfolio of products specifically designed for small enterprises of $25M to $250M in revenue. The offerings combine, under one brand, Best's MAS 500^® accounting and distribution applications with the award-winning Best! Imperativ™ line of human resources (HR)/payroll, fixed asset management and analytics products from fellow market-leader Best Software.

The MAS 500 offers best-in-class functionality across all e-business applications from a single vendor. Best's HR, payroll, asset management, and analytics products will continue to be available from the company independently of the other Best applications, and will also continue to support other accounting packages.

"The MAS 500 combines the best mid-market products available into one integrated business management solution, firmly strengthening Best's leadership position in the small enterprise market," said David R. Butler, president and chief operating officer of Best Software, Inc. "This will allow us to continue improving our existing product integrations while leveraging and supporting our corporate branding efforts."

In February 2000, Best's parent company, The Best Group plc, acquired Best Software in an effort to expand its market leadership in the U.S. by adding Best's complementary Abra^®, FAS^™ and Imperativ product lines to Best's accounting and business management solutions.

"This announcement makes a powerful statement to our competitors and especially to our current and prospective customers, who can now purchase all components of a complete, integrated e-business solution as their business requires," said Jim Foster, president and chief operating officer of Best Software.

About Best Software
Best Software, Inc., with more than 50,000 customers worldwide and offices in the US, Canada and Europe, is a leading provider of Web-based solutions which help organizations transform the way they manage their people, assets and planning. Its scalable, cost-effective solutions complement core financial management systems and support the full spectrum of Microsoft platforms, including Windows^® 95, Windows^® 98, Windows NT^®and BackOffice^®.

About Best Software
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Best Software, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Best Group plc, the world's leading PC-based accounting software company with more than 2 million customers. Best markets five major accounting software packages in the United States. Peachtree^®, DacEasy^® and BusinessWorks^® are easy to use and provide the full accounting features needed by most small businesses of up to 50 employees. MAS 90^® is the leading accounting software for medium-sized businesses with up to 500 employees, and is recommended by more CPAs than any other midrange accounting product. MAS 500 is perfect for larger businesses or business units of up to 1,000 employees, and for three consecutive years it has won Microsoft's Industry Solution Award for Best Technology Integration.

MAS 500® customers typical sales volume is usually 10 million and up.

Software, implementation, training and follow-up technical help for MAS 500® usually falls between $30,000 to $200,000.